5 editor-picked estates growing Merlot in Umbria.
Where to taste Merlot in Umbria: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
The cellar
11 bottles with at least 15% Merlot in the blend.
4.3
Lampante
Tenuta Castelbuono (Tenute Lunelli)
4.1
L'Arringatore
Goretti (Le Mura Saracene)
3.9
Montefalco Rosso
Fongoli
3.9
Montefalco Rosso
Goretti (Le Mura Saracene)
3.9
Ziggurat
Tenuta Castelbuono (Tenute Lunelli)
3.8
Rossobastardo
Cesarini Sartori
3.7
Gabrino
Dionigi
3.7
Montefalco Rosso
Colle Ciocco
3.6
Montefalco Rosso
Pardi
3.5
Villa Barbi Rosso
Decugnano dei Barbi
3.4
Vignarco Rosso
Palazzone
Founded in 1971 at the foot of Montefalco, the estate that pushed Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG toward international recognition, with Michel Rolland consulting on the cellar programme.
Tasting: Vertical tastings, guided vineyard tours, cellar visits and tailor-made experiences by reservation.
Tip: The 25 Anni bottling marks the estate's anniversary vintage, a dry Sagrantino built for extended cellar ageing.
Family estate at Arquata near Bevagna farming about 20 hectares of a 30-hectare property, producing Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG alongside Grechetto and a handful of international varieties.
Tasting: Estate visits Monday to Saturday, 9:30-12:30 and 14:30-18:00, closed Sunday; booking via the estate's experiences page.
Tip: Visit hours run to 18:00 on weekdays; Sunday needs advance booking.
Four-generation Perugia family producer with two sites: a Colli Perugini DOC home estate at Pila and a Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG vineyard trading as Le Mura Saracene.
Tasting: Tours and tastings at the Pila (Perugia) home estate; the Montefalco vineyard trades under the Le Mura Saracene label.
Tip: L'Arringatore is a Sangiovese-Merlot-Ciliegiolo blend from the Colli Perugini home estate.
A career-change estate started in the late 1990s by the Cesarini Sartori family at Torri di Barattano near Gualdo Cattaneo, farming 30 hectares of Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tasting: Contact the estate, operated as Aliara Vini Societa Agricola, to arrange a visit.
Tip: The estate trades under the legal name Aliara Vini Societa Agricola.
Vignarco Rosso blends Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, fermented on the skins in steel with manual punch-downs before a partial run through oak, Palazzone's entry red below its Orvieto whites' price tier.
Tip: Screw-capped and built for early drinking, this is the bottle to open on a weeknight rather than cellar.
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